References and  
     Recommendation 
             Letters
            Trachtenberg School 
         Career Development Services
              Career Guide
   MPA Suite 601
   www.career.tspppa.gwu.edu
   tscareer@gwu.edu
                                                                                              
                   
                   
                   
                   
                                                              Career Guide 
                              References and Recommendation Letters 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                                                                   Table of Contents 
                                                                                                                                              
                  References and letters of recommendation                                                                                    
                           References and letters of recommendation                                                                        2 
                           Selecting a recommender                                                                                         2 
                           Information to provide your recommender                                                                         3 
                                                                                                                                              
                  Letters of recommendation                                                                                                   
                           Additional information to provide your referee                                                                  4 
                           Drafting a letter of recommendation                                                                             5 
                           Outline for a well-structured letter                                                                            6 
                           Sample letter of recommendation                                                                                 7 
                           Sample fellowship recommendation                                                                                8 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
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                     References and Recommendation Letters  
                     A reference or a letter of recommendation provides a potential employer, fellowship or degree program 
                     with more information about you.  
                      
                     Colleges and graduate schools usually require letters of recommendation during the admissions process, 
                     as do many fellowships; potential employers usually request a list of references that they can contact to 
                     ask about you.   
                      
                     A letter of recommendation is a written reference designed to offer information about your character and 
                     work ethic. A list of references is a list of people (often former supervisors or professors) who know about 
                     your work and can offer more perspective than an interview can about what you are like as an employee.  
                     Potential employers may contact references by email or telephone.   
                     Selecting a recommender 
                      
                     How do you choose whom to ask for a letter of recommendation or reference? 
                      
                           Remember that a recommendation anyone makes for you puts the reputation of the 
                           recommender on the line. 
                            a.  Select a recommender who knows aspects of your skills, abilities and experience that are 
                                 relevant to the position/fellowship for which you are applying. 
                      
                            b.  If possible, select a recommender whom you have kept informed of your progress over 
                                 some period of time (holiday greetings, periodic email updates/check-ins). 
                      
                            c.  Select a recommender whom you believe agrees with and will support your chosen course of 
                                 action (see (b) above). Ask them (see (e) below) for their perspective on your course of action.  
                                             give you an idea of how supportive they can be. 
                                 This will
                      
                            d.  Particularly for letters of recommendation, make sure your recommender has enough 
                                 advance notice and enough time to prepare a good letter of recommendation. (Keep 
                                                                                      - holidays and exams/grading periods are not 
                                 their calendar in mind as well as your own 
                                 good times for writing letters of recommendation.) 
                      
                            e.  Send an advance email or make a brief phone call to ask your recommender for a reference or 
                                 a letter of recommendation. 
                      
                                     •    Tell them what is involved with this specific position. For example, listing their name 
                                          and contact information; answering a call or email  from a potential employer;  writing 
                                          a letter of recommendation due to be submitted by a specific date;  filling in an on-line 
                                          recommendation form.  
                                               ADVISED: On-line recommendation forms are the least flexible, most 
                                     •    BE
                                          burdensome and time consuming for your recommender, and give the least 
                                          opportunity for your recommender to fit their recommendation to your particular 
                                          capacities and situation.  
                                     •    DO NOT expect the recommender to sort out the on line process.  Lay it out for 
                                                                                                                                     log on to ABC 
                                          them, for example: "You will receive an email from XYZ asking you to
                                          website and fill out a form. I will send you a hard copy of the form so you can see what 
                                          is required." 
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         Information for your recommender 
         
         What information does your recommender need from you? 
         
         The general rule is to MAKE IT EASY for the person to whom you are sending your 
         request for a reference/recommendation. 
          
         a.  Once someone agrees to provide a reference or letter of recommendation for you, follow up 
           your initial inquiry with information about the opportunity to which you are applying and your 
           suitability for it.  If you are requesting a letter of recommendation, this should be a detailed email 
           (see next page). For a reference, a conversation or an email is fine.  Make sure you tell your 
           reference anything you know about when, by whom, and how he or she can expect to be 
           contacted, as well as the employer, the position and your suitability for it.  You may find that you 
           contact a reference several times as you apply to more positions.   
            
         This type of information lets the recommender know that you aren't just  "shooting in the dark". 
         Also, for a letter of recommendation, the referee will be able to draw on the statements from 
         your letter to write the letter of recommendation, adding their appraisal of your suitability or special 
         qualification for the fellowship or job. 
            
         b.  After it is all over send the recommender an email or thank you note to let them know 
           the outcome.  It helps keep them updated on your situation in case you need help in the 
           future, and it's just the polite thing to do.  
            
         
            Why is it important to organize information for a referee writing a letter of recommendation? 
            
         Every time you ask for a letter of recommendation, you (and many others at the same time) are 
         asking a LOT of time of the referee. Writing several letters of recommendation for ONE student to 
         SEVERAL different graduate institutions, for example, can take 6-8 hours, especially if your referee 
         must research his or her files for your grades and your research papers. 
         
         A referee can sometimes use the same basic letter, but each one must be tailored.  It is easy to 
         mistakenly put a letter of recommendation for one institution or program into the envelope addressed 
         to another, or forget to change the address to match the institution to which the letter of 
         recommendation is going. Institutions and selection committees do receive letters of recommendation 
         for Fellowships that were directed to the wrong program.  This tells the selection committees that the 
         applicant is pursuing other options as well, and makes the selection committee wonder how serious 
         the applicant is about their program. Do everything possible to organize the papers and 
         necessary information for your referee. 
                       
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